Devils Cafe and Choose Your Dream Lead the Field at the G1 High Flyer Stakes
Surrey-ENG (SUR) – Sunday, October 28, 2018 — 3:00:00 PM EST
High Flyer Stakes – 8 Furlongs on Turf
Grade I — Purse : $750,000
Restricted to 2 Year Olds
Juvenile turf milers take their chances at G1 glory in Surrey on Sunday. A few have already demonstrated serious quality, winning lesser graded stakes races, but the joint favorite is Devils Café, an undefeated Sea the Stars colt whose connections clearly saw greatness in his speedy 7.5 furlongs in New York a month ago. His toughest competition, Choose Your Dream, has twice been tested against fields of this quality before and has placed each time.
Bake the Cake (23/1) started his career with three straight wins, including an ungraded stakes turf sprint in June. A big jump up to G1 after that race didn’t go as well and he really struggled again in the G2 Flying Children Stakes. Now comes another attempt against top competitors with the longest odds he’s faced this season along with a decent step up in distance having never passed 6 furlongs before.
High Energy Son (12/1) is one-for-two, winning a turf mile allowance for Irish-bred colts in his previous start. This race will provide some serious insight as to whether he can rocket to stardom or if a different level is more appropriate to find future success. He is one of a number of horses that will compete to take the early lead.
In the third position is the aforementioned Devils Café (9/2). No losses yet on his record and a spectacular 90 SP over 7.5 furlongs last month. That victory came after sitting mid-pack and kicking hard to beat the early leader by half a length. If Sunday’s pace is fast once again, and it certainly should be, there may not be a horse in this field who can close well enough to beat him.
Izzy Invincible (10/1) also brings a three-race winning streak into this one. His career started a bit slowly back in January and took four tries to break his maiden but an increase in distance led to a stakes victory in his last start. Going from 6 to 8 furlongs will be another test even though he is as in-form as any starter in the race. Another good bet to lead into the first turn.
The connections of Internationalflint (13/1) took a relatively dull maiden victory as a sign that this horse should compete in graded stakes. To be fair, those attempts have fared relatively well, with a 5th and a 3rd in two G3 starts. Another colt moving up from 6 furlongs, the added distance could either raise him into contention or dash his hopes.
Deepcomet (11/1) has struggled in two prior attempts in graded stakes races. Dropping to 5.5 furlongs in the ungraded Luca Brasi Turf Juvenile resulted in a midpack finish and now he looks to stretch out again. It’s hard to see him featuring prominently over the weekend.
Hussle Hard (7/1) won the G3 Premie Champion Stakes, also on the turf over 8 furlongs, in South Africa back in July and looks to be the best competition for the co-favorites. An attempt on the dirt didn’t go as well so this King Kamehameha colt is back on the grass. Could be underpriced if that dirt start is a factor in punters’ minds.
Redoute’s Roady (7/1) won the Lirio Turf Juvenile in early September and has now taken two straight. Going a mile is just a slight step up in distance and with an 86 SP over 7.5 furlongs, he has to be counted among the outside favorites.
In gate number nine is Deep Rivers (8/1), winner of the G3 Golden HandGrenade. His hopes for the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile Turf were dashed behind the likes of Battlefield Hero at the Blue Diamond Road in August but the additional rest since then may give him an edge here.
Litentite (72/1) is your longshot. Won a four-horse maiden race in Italy but was most recently seen 13-1/4 furlongs back at the G2 Miller Reef Stakes. If he moves out of the last position at all in this race it will be an improvement.
Alacosta (14/1) is one of several in this race shipping over from the Golden Shoe in Australia. That G1 6-furlong race was won by the spectacular filly Invincible Irish. Alacosta was eighth that day and looks to test himself again versus fellow also-rans Ranamuse and Choose Your Dream.
Ranamuse (19/1) finished sixth in the Golden Shoe and can feel a bit underrated with his longer odds than Alacosta. His prior results include two ungraded stakes places and wins in two smaller turf sprints in the spring.
Well Well Done (14/1) is probably the best value for money of all. Three-for-three, including a win in the G2 Aaron Burr, going gate to wire each time, but no one is talking him up for this race. He will be challenged from the gun by the co-favorite to his outside but nothing in his past performances says he will be fazed by this race.
Finally, the other co-favorite is a colt who knows the agony of defeat to Invincible Irish not once but twice, Choose Your Dream (9/2). Second at the G1 Firebird and second by a head at the Golden Shoe. He has set the tone for most of the races he’s won and will look to do so again but there are plenty of contenders this weekend who could surprise and dash his hopes to be third time lucky at this level.
Prediction:
- Devil’s Café
- Choose Your Dream
- Well Well Done
Nicely written about all horses
I like the chances of my colt Deep Rivers at 8-1 , he as the probably the best jockey in the game aboard him who has flown to Surrey just to ride my colt and that’s the only ride he has on the card
Definitely got it right on the added distance improving for Internationalflint LOL. I’LL take getting 2nd by a head in G1 Company , one heck of a gutsy run by the Colt.